HMS Madagascar (1822)

HMS ''Madagascar'' was a 46-gun fifth-rate Druid-class sloop; originally intended as a . The ship underwent slight modifications when it was reordered in 1820, and so was built and launched at Bombay (modern day Mumbai) as a Druid-class on 15 November 1822; a sub-class of the Seringapatam.

''Madagascar'' was built under Master Shipwright Nowrojee Jamsetjee Wadia, who had succeeded his father, Jamsetjee Bomanjee, following his retirement in 1817. The ship was commissioned by the Royal Navy from the East India Company who had established the yard in 1735. It is believed that Parsi shipwrights were brought to Bombay (Mumbai) from the Surat province of Gujarat, to assist with shipbuilding though no record survives detailing exactly who was responsible for building ''HMS Madagascar'' (1822) or carving the figurehead.  

''Madagascar'' delivered Bavarian Prince Otto, who had been selected as the King of Greece, to his new capital Nafplion in 1833. In 1843, ''Madagascar'' was assigned to the West Africa Squadron for the suppression of the Atlantic slave trade, which had been made illegal throughout the British Empire since 1807, when the Slave Trade Act prohibited its continuation. Operating off the West African coast, it successfully detained the Portuguese slave schooner ''Feliz'' in 1837, the Brazilian slave ships ''Ermelinda Segunda'' (detained 1842), ''Independencia'' (1843), ''Prudentia'' (1843) and ''Loteria'' (1843), and the Spanish slave brigantine ''Roberto'' (1842), along with two other vessels of which the nationalities were not recorded.

In 1848, ''Madagascar'' became a storeship, first in Devonport and then at Rio de Janeiro after 1853. She was sold in 1863.

Figurehead

''HMS'' ''Madagascar'' is one of only five surviving Indian-carved figureheads made for Royal Navy ships.

The large eyes and ears of ''HMS Madagascar'' are typical of figureheads carved in India; the prominent ears and earlobes represent a sculptural tradition that stems from depictions of the Buddha whose earlobes are stretched to signify that the removal of jewellery (or earthly goods) has taken place. The eyes are also traditional of Indian artistic decoration and carving, and such features can be found on other Indian-carved figureheads such as HMS Carnatic (1823) and HMS Asia (1824). Similar can also be found on the semi-automaton, Tipu's Tiger, removed from the music room of Tipu Sultan of Mysore's palace during the Siege of Seringapatam (1799). The semi-automaton can today be seen at the V&A Museum in London.

Similar styles in the deep cutting of the curls can also be seen on the figurehead of an ''Honourable Company Ship'', the ''HCS Hugh Lindsay'', built in Bombay Dockyard for the naval arm of the East India Company. It is possible that the figurehead, which remains in India today, could be the work of the same carver as that of ''HMS Madagascar.''  

The figurehead would have been carved by a skilled craftsman using a variety of tools and was made from Malabar teak; a popular choice in Indian shipbuilding due to its durability, which enabled ships to remain in service for upwards of fifty years.

Rescue from Brazil

Following its transition to become a storeship, ''HMS Madagascar'' saw out the last of her days in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 1853 to 1863. It was initially believed that the figurehead was found on a bonfire, shortly after the ship had been broken up, though only the head was recovered. Indeed, the 1996 restoration mentions fire damage, but describes it as 'blackened areas and scorch marks', however conservators at the National Museum of the Royal Navy do not believe the damage was widespread enough to prove the figurehead was thrown on a bonfire. The blackened areas could just as easily have been from previous paint removal or another fire of some sort. The report also mentioned that one side of ''Madagascar'''s face was in worse condition than the other, suggesting to conservators that it had been laid in wet conditions on its side.

There is no documentation to explain how the figurehead made it from Brazil to the U.K. where it was donated to the National Museum of the Royal Navy.

Restoration and conservation

Restoration, 1996

The exaggerated and controversial facial features of ''HMS Madagascar'' were initially thought to have been part of the original carving, with its caricature-like paint scheme following pre-existing paintwork. The discovery of restoration documentation at the National Museum of the Royal Navy, however, recently revealed that significant restorative work was carried out in 1996. The record states that the nose and lips - the most problematic features - were reconstructed after original features were damaged. Additionally, CT scans of the figurehead carried out by the University of Southampton in May 2024 - in partnership with the National Museum of the Royal Navy - show precisely where those modifications were added, indicating the use of a different wood to the original Malabar teak in the formation of the nose. This was then covered with resin, which in turn was used to recreate the figurehead’s mouth. HMS ''Madagascar'', therefore, owes its current form to the work carried out in the 1990s.  

Early drawings for the figurehead of the first HMS ''Madagascar'' by Edward Hellyer of Hellyer & Sons, dated 1812, reveal a design far more accurate in its portrayal of an African man, with more sympathetically drawn hair and inoffensive human features. It is possible that the original was used for inspiration for this figurehead, however, due to the lack of surviving designs from the 1822 carving, its original appearance, and how appropriate it was in its depiction, will never be known.

Discussions with various community groups in Portsmouth over the figurehead’s reinterpretation for the future remain ongoing.

Conservation 2024

A bullet was discovered during the 1996 restoration, ‘on the left side of the head part of the eyebrow was split off and just in front of the ear was a 6mm hole.’ Probing by the restorer found a ‘lead bullet or ball’.  

More recently, CT scans have shown the figurehead to be host to a total of four metallic inclusions; two can be seen behind and below the left ear, with the other two being located above and below the left eye. Expertise was then sought from the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds, West Yorkshire, when it became evident that the scans alone could not confirm if the metal elements were additional bullets. An expert in the field of firearms and artillery estimated, due to the uniform size and shape of the inclusions, that the holes were made by 13mm bullets when round, fired from a civilian pistol or pistols – most likely a ‘turn-off’ barrel pistol with a .51 inch classic Board of Ordnance pistol bore. The low velocity and consistent ballistics that resulted in the shallow embedding of the bullets beneath the surface suggest a long-distance shot, or fire with a very low charge, most likely fired from the shore. Why and at what stage of the figurehead’s life it was shot at is unlikely to ever be known.

Commanding officers

* 1830 – Sir Robert Spencer, second son of the Earl of Spencer died aboard ship in Malta.
* 1830–1834 – captain Edmund Lyons
* 1838–1839 – Provo Wallis, KCB, East Indies
* 1840 – Out of Commission
* 1841–1844 – captain John Foote, west coast of Africa
* 1847 – Robert Mann
* 1853 – John William Finch, storeship, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
* 1855 – John Ptolemy Thurburn, storeship, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
* 1856 – John Mortimer Leycester, storeship, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
* 1859–1863 – Vice Admiral Richard Dunning White, CB, storeship, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Citations

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Madagascar (1822)
1822 ships
1822 establishments in India
Seringapatam-class frigate
Otto of Greece